Lee Dong-gook Criticizes the Korea Football Association for Suggesting Legal Action Against Park Joo-ho… “This is Not Right”
Former national team striker Lee Dong-gook has taken legal action against the Korea Football Association (KFA) for publicly raising issues with the process of appointing the national team coach.
On the afternoon of the 13th, Lee Dong-gook said on his YouTube channel bulletin board, "I received a lot of love as a national team player and played in the K-League for a long time, so I feel a great sense of responsibility." https://bit.ly/outlookindiasports
He added, "As a junior and senior, there are areas where I should have taken better care of myself, but I apologize to the fans for not being able to do so."
While saying this, he said, "One word hits my mind: legal action."
He added, "This is not a word for someone who has worked harder than anyone else.
Now that trust has been lost, everyone should think that it is not anyone's fault but their own."
Former national team fullback Park Joo-ho, who served as a member of the Korea Football Association’s National Team Strengthening Committee, recently uploaded an ‘exposure’ video to his YouTube channel.
The content was that the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo, who was leading K League 1 Ulsan HD, as the national team’s commander was not carried out according to procedure, and that some members of the Strengthening Committee pushed for the appointment of a domestic football player rather than a foreign coach.
The Korea Football Association decided to consider legal action against Park Joo-ho, claiming that he broke his confidentiality agreement.
Park Joo-ho is known to have mobilized his personal network to recommend coaches who were mentioned as final candidates, including Canadian national team coach Jesse Marsh and former Norwich City (England) manager David Wagner.
Lee Dong-gook said, "This national team coaching issue is big.
I've been watching for over 5 months and I've felt really sorry," and "The process needs to be good, but it doesn't seem to have gone as well as Korean soccer fans expected and worried."
He wrote, “I think it’s time for a change,” and “I will also try to be a strength to the K-League and the national team in various ways in the future.
Please cheer on Korean soccer and give me your criticism.”
Lee Dong-gook had been serving as vice-chairman of the Korea Football Association since January of last year, but resigned in April of that year as public anger grew over the association’s “surprise” pardon of soccer players who were under disciplinary action for reasons such as match-fixing. https://writer.bighugelabs.com/share/249yczuq
Previously, “senior” soccer players with experience in European soccer, such as commentator Lee Young-pyo and Jeonbuk Hyundai technical director Park Ji-sung, also defended Park Joo-ho and criticized the Korea Football Association.
After the home game against Gwangju FC at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 10th, Coach Hong explained why he accepted the position of national team coach and said that he should embrace Park Joo-ho’s opinions.
Coach Hong said, “Park Joo-ho’s (team reinforcement committee) words may sound uncomfortable, but it is important to embrace them and move forward for better Korean soccer.”
